Searching Without a Net:
Revisiting Primo Normalization Rules in
the Context of Aleph to Alma Migration
Primo at Minnesota
• 2007: Primo Development Partner and
initial rollout
• 2008-12: Discoverability projects
• 2013: Primo Central implementation and
migration to Alma
Normalization Rules
Refresher
• Normalization rules transform MARC
records (or records in other metadata
formats) to Primo Normalized XML records
(PNX)
• They control searching, display, facets,
deduping, and FRBRization
Revision: Now is the Time!
• Thorough revision of Primo MARC normalization
rules not done since initial implementation
• Upgrade to Primo 4
• Primo Central implementation and blended
search
• Alma implementation: complete re-normalization
and reindexing; end of Aleph OPAC
• RDA implementation and RDA enhancement of
existing records
Understanding the Rules
• Presentation of normalization rules within
Primo Back Office is less than intuitive.
• Alternate view by MARC tag very helpful,
especially for catalogers.
View by MARC Tag
Process
• Review customizations made to Aleph
MARC normalization rules
• Address problems/concerns with current
implementation of Primo
• Review MNCAT Classic (Aleph OPAC)
use cases and search data
Process
• Accommodate Alma data where it
differs from Aleph
• Review new RDA elements and
determine where they might aid users in
search or identification
• Review Aleph OPAC search indexes
and limits
Process
• Write rules, publish a set of relevant
records from Alma, and test changes.
• Make big changes cautiously; watch for
unintended consequences
Tracking Changes with Trello
Existing Customizations
• Which to carry forward? Were all still
needed?
• Examples: facet for geographic area;
splitting “Audiovisual” resource type into
“Audio” and “Video.”
Aleph/Primo Issues
• Failed searches or poor search results
in current Aleph/Primo implementation
• Sometimes normalization could help,
but not always
• Example: adding a “government
document” resource type to allow better
filtering of result sets.
Aleph/Primo Issues
Causes of failed searches:
• Not always normalization
• Flawed source data
• Ranking issues for individual records
• Failed publication processes.
Aleph/Primo Issues
• Ongoing effort to communicate to staff
that they should report failed Primo
searches so problems could be
identified and fixed.
Aleph OPAC review
• Use cases gathered via online form and
staff input
• Aleph OPAC search data reviewed from
recent years
• Based on that information, attempted to
identify changes to norm rules or
indexes that might address needs
Aleph OPAC use cases
Aleph OPAC use cases
Warning to public
users and FAQ on the
retirement of MNCAT
Classic, and a link for
users to provide
comments and
suggestions.
Known item searching
specifically
addressed.
Aleph OPAC use cases
Staff-facing form to
collect specific
situations where the
Aleph OPAC
succeeded and
Primo either failed,
or provided
insufficient or
irrelevant results.
Aleph OPAC data
Aleph OPAC data
Aleph OPAC review
• Review of search and display options
available in Aleph OPAC
• Goal: offer similar options in Primo
where possible and justified by past
usage
• Examples: expanded “Details” display,
more index choices in Advanced
search.
Accommodating Alma
• Changes to local data on bibliographic
records made in preparation for Alma
migration
• Especially important for special
collections: search and display of
holdings-level public notes.
MARC Holdings Notes
Display
Search
852 $$z and 866 $$z notes display but cannot be made
searchable!
RDA
• University of Minnesota full RDA
implementation Summer 2013
• Backstage Library Works RDA
enhancement of full database planned
for 2014
RDA
Examples
• Ensuring no rules relied on GMD (245
$h)
• Added 338 field and technical details
fields (34X) to Details display.
• Stripped relationship designators
(1XX/7XX $e or $j) from creator;
displayed in custom field instead.
Post Alma Go-Live To Do
• Browse indexes
• Dedup and FRBR (if necessary)
• Minor tweaks to details display
Browse
• Went live with OTB browse rules
• Intent to align browse indexes with
Aleph browse indexes where possible.
• Problems detected with Author Browse
and Call Number Browses
Title Browse
Author Browse
Call Number Browse
• Form/size designators indexing as part
of call number browse string.
• Dewey browse not working well; needs
analysis.
FRBR and Dedup Tweaks
• FRBR clustering of all formats
problematic for music materials
• Dedup failing for some maps
• These problems existed in Primo/Aleph,
but were not detected because users
fell back on Aleph OPAC.
Dedup Failures: Maps
Dedup Failures: Journals
• Cataloging differences between print
and e-journal records causing no dedup
(and sometimes no FRBRization)
• E-journal metadata from Alma
Community Zone not locally controlled,
so source data tweaks are not possible.
“blood”
“blood journal”
Resource Type Refinement
• Exclude state university press
publications from Government
Document type
• Investigate adding others:
Thesis/Dissertation, Database
• Interaction with Primo Central resource
types
Thank You
Stacie Traill
trail001@umn.edu